Kindle Reader

This book presents a distinguished quartet of lectures by the late Erwin Panofsky, universally acknowledged as one of the twentieth century's leading interpreters of the meaning of works of art. In the text of these lectures Dr. Panofsky illuminates the world of tomb sculpture, an art form that has existed since the dawn of civilization, as its imagery expresses humankind's hopes and fears in the face of death, the striving for immortality. Many readers will need no introduction to the scholarship and humanism of Dr. Panofsky, who was Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. The uninitiated will find in these lectures a marvelous blend of learning and entertainment, splendidly illustrated by 471 black-and-white photographs. The variety and beauty of these reproductions are themselves breathtaking. Starting with Egypt and pursuing the theme of funerary art through its fascinating cultural expressions - Greek, Roman, Early Christian, Romanesque, Gothi...